


clan of three

by fangirl6202



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blindfolds, Declarations Of Love, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Din Djarin Removes the Helmet, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Love Confessions, M/M, Porn with Feelings, Space Racism???, Tags Contain Spoilers, The Mandalorian (TV) Season 2, Touch-Starved Din Djarin, thats a tag? wow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:15:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28473789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl6202/pseuds/fangirl6202
Summary: “Right now all I wanna do is take you to bed and sleep ‘til the little critter wakes us up.”Just a year before, the idea of sleeping in a bed with someone else while a child he claimed as his own slept in the other room would have been ridiculously absurd, but as the opportunity presented itself, he wanted nothing more.Well, maybe something.“Actually,” he said, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice as Cobb tilted his head at him, looking at him as if he could already through his helmet. “I wanted to try something.”“Well, I don’t know if I’m ready just yet for another round,” He grinned, shamelessly looking down at their naked bodies. “We ain’t exactly young, partner, and--”“I want to kiss you.”
Relationships: Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth
Comments: 5
Kudos: 71





	clan of three

Din wasn’t entirely sure when it happened. 

One moment he was laying in his bunk, staring up at the ceiling of the _Crest_ with Grogu fast asleep in his arms, and the next he had made up his mind. He was done. 

Just a month before, Peli's droids had located a tracking device someone put on his ship. To hunt the child down. To hunt _his_ child down. Maybe that was when he made up his mind. He was done traipsing the universe, forcing the child he considered his own to be submitted to the dangers of every planet they went to. The Creed meant nothing to him at that moment, damn the Jedi. Grogu was staying with him

And Din was going back to Mos Pelgo. 

The first time Din and Vanth fell into bed together, it had been an accident. Too much spotchka on the Marshal's part and too little self-restraint on the Mandalorian’s part led to a clumsy night of naked bodies (except one helmet) and heat, too much adrenaline due to their vanquishment of a krayt dragon in the earlier hours. 

The next few times, Din had had no excuses. 

They had gotten good at their little routine, what with Din making the trek to Tatooine with the reasoning that Peli was the best damn mechanic he knew (she was, in all honesty, though Maker forbid he ever tell her) and the ride to Mos Pelgo wasn’t too far. She was more than happy to take the kid for a few days, though she always gave him a knowing grin when he went back aboard the Crest as if she knew just what he was doing.

He let his guard down around the Marshal and his damned smirk, and before he knew what was happening, he knew he’d lay his life down for this cocky man who made Din feel things he had never felt before. 

The sex was good, beyond anything Din had ever experienced, and then the oddest thing happened one night. After Cobb had rolled off of him and back onto the bed, regaining his breath and laughing, he had asked.

“ _Why don’t you ever bring the Kid around? I miss the little womp rat.”_

Din had been too stunned to respond. What they had was good, and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why Cobb wanted to see the child. It hit him hard, the realization; Cobb didn’t just want the sex. He wanted a life with him and Grogu. And what was even scarier than that was that Din wanted it too. He could see it clear as day in his mind, and he hadn’t wanted anything more in his life. He was falling in love, hard, and he had an inkling Cobb was too if the whispered ‘ _I think I’m falling in love with you, Mando,”_ he had said when he thought Din was asleep was anything to go by.

So he did, bring the kid around the next time, and to his utter amazement, the nights without sex went even better than the ones with them. And so he brought the kid again and again, and soon, it was more common that the Child be with him on visits to Mos Pelgo.

Maybe he was getting old, maybe he was getting soft, but he found that his favorite nights were spent around Vanth’s dining room table or on his worn-couch, sitting between the two most important people in his life, or sleeping in his bed. It was like an itch was being scratched that Din had never even realized was there.

The smile Vanth got when he saw the child in Din’s arms coming off the _Crest_ was enough to rival both of Tatooine’s suns, and right now, that was what he needed.

“Wake up, kid,” He softly said, getting out of the bunk and rubbing the kid’s ears when he slowly blinked up at him. “We’re going home.”

* * *

“Well hello there stranger!” A familiar drawl sounded as he made his way into the cantina, raising a hand in greeting to the patrons. "Was beginning to think you forgot about us down here."

The breath was nearly knocked out of Din when Vanth greeted him with that blinding smile, the man strutting towards him with his hips swaying in that way that was completely natural to him and made Din go a little crazy. When he had first met him, the ill-fitting Mandalorian armor made his walk awkward and measured, but now he walked as if he was just wanting Din to take him out back and fuck him against the wall. His salt-and-pepper hair was a bit longer, just around the perfect length to pull on--

"Marshal," he greeted, coming up to clasp Vanth's hand in a more intimate version of a handshake. They might have stayed there longer than was publicly appropriate if the kid hadn't decided to stretch his arms out to Vanth, cooing and smiling up at him. 

"Hey there, buddy!" Cobb cried out, taking Grogu from his hands and hugging him tightly. The sight made his chest feel warm, and he couldn't help a small smile even if neither could see it. "I missed you, little fella."

"I think it's time for his nap," Din said, tilting his head down so Vanth could understand his meaning. He felt a bit odd using his child as an excuse to get them alone, but he hadn't seen the man in over three months and if he weren’t careful, he'd do something stupid. "It was a long ride."

Luckily for him, Vanth had no such objections to using the very obviously awake child in his arms for his devilish purposes. 

"I'm sure it was," Cobb said, cocky lilt to his voice that matched the eyebrow that was quirking up at him. "I'd be happy to put him down at my place, partner." He leaned in conspiratorially, over-exaggerating the gesture a child makes when telling a secret. "Don't tell anyone, but the food I make is better than anything they serve here." 

Din couldn't help the snort that escaped him, knowing that statement was the furthest from the truth, but Cobb smiled nonetheless and for a moment all was right. Everything was going to be okay. 

* * *

"I missed you," Cobb said in between pants as Din shoved him against the wall of the bedroom, working at his pants with ease and kicking off his own. An absolutely sinful moan escaped the man's mouth when Din's fingers dug into that fucking glorious ass, hard enough to leave marks that nobody would see besides him. "Wasn't sure when you'd pay me a visit again, Mando." 

"Shut _up_ ," Din growled with no real heat behind it, once again amazed at the fact that the Marshal couldn't stay quiet longer than a few seconds. 

"Make me," Cobb challenged breathlessly, grinning at him as if he just loved pushing Din's buttons. He was the most vocal partner Din had ever had, in and out of bed, but he found that the words that fell from the man's rosy lips spurred his actions on. Just a plea of " _more_ " or a cry of " _oh fuck, yes_!" from that pretty mouth had more of an effect on him than any aphrodisiac ever could.

It took no time at all for Din to whirl them around so his back was to the wall and to shove the Marshal to his knees, laughing as he took his new position in a stride, rocking back on his heels as if he were made for this. He could probably see his reflection in Din's visor, splayed out on his knees with his hand in between his own legs, grinning from ear to ear like he was in his happy place. 

"You look extremely eager for someone about to-" Din started but cut off in a rugged gasp when Cobb suddenly licked a stripe on the underside of his cock, his free hand coming up to jerk off what his mouth couldn't fit in. 

"You're gonna pay for that," the Mandalorian growled once he could form a coherent thought, glaring at him as Vanth smiled innocently. 

"I'll look forward to it, partner.” 

Din’s head slammed into the wall behind them as Cobb took him entirely into his mouth, finally finding a good purpose for it. But even with his lips wrapped around Din’s cock, he was extremely vocal, moaning and whimpering and driving the Mandalorian insane.

“ _Maker--”_ He muttered as his gloved hand snaked into the Marshal’s hair, and he found that his earlier suspicions were correct. A sharp tug only made Cobb cry out on his cock as it hit the back of his throat and it felt so _good._

He wasn’t worried about the man’s lack of oxygen, they had worked out a verbal and non-verbal system months ago, and Cobb looked perfectly content with the turn of events. Din’s hips thrust forward on their own accord, and the sight of this beautiful man on his knees for him, with his lips stretched around his none-too-thin cock, almost did him in.

_If I were to die right, I’d die a happy man._

“G-Gonna come, Marshal,” He warned, purposely letting his voice drop a few octaves because he had seen firsthand the effects his low voice paired with that title did to the man. Just like he knew would happen, Cobb let out the filthiest moan of the night as he urged him on and before he knew it, he was throwing his head back as he saw white, pure bliss overtaking him as Cobb swallowed him down as best he could. He would have felt embarrassed for not lasting long at all, but when his eyes opened to see Cobb still on his knees, stroking himself, he found he didn’t care. Maker, he had waited far too long for this and his hand just wasn’t the same as Cobb’s mouth. 

He had to hold onto the man’s shoulder as he recovered from his orgasm, and he wondered if his breathing was as ragged as it felt. “Kriff, flustered is a good look on you Din,” Cobb said as he stood up a bit wobbly, because of course he’d still be talking. “All that for me?”

“I could easily leave, you know,” he retorted, but they both knew he wouldn’t dare. As much as he loved the _Crest,_ it was starting to feel less and less like home to him. Now when he thought of the word, he no longer imagined his ship, he imagined a small house on a dusty overheated planet and a smile that no sun could ever outshine. 

“Well, we don’t want that, do we partner?” Cobb said, pressing a small kiss to his helmet right around his cheek, and he was grateful the man couldn’t see how flustered the small gesture made him. “Right now all I wanna do is take you to bed and sleep ‘til the little critter wakes us up.”

Just a year before, the idea of sleeping in a bed with someone else while a child he claimed as his own slept in the other room would have been ridiculously absurd, but as the opportunity presented itself, he wanted nothing more.

Well, maybe something.

“Actually,” he said, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice as Cobb tilted his head at him, looking at him as if he could already through his helmet. “I wanted to try something.”

“Well, I don’t know if I’m ready just yet for another round,” He grinned, shamelessly looking down at their naked bodies. “We ain’t exactly young, partner, and--”

“I want to kiss you.” 

He had done something he hadn’t been sure was possible. Din had rendered Cobb Vanth speechless.

Realistically, he knew that only half a minute passed, but it felt like an eternity to Din. Cobb just stared at him, lips parted a little as he barely let out a breath. “I, uh, thought you said that wasn’t an option, Mando.” 

“It isn’t,” He explained, but he wanted to kick himself when he saw he was only confusing the man more. “Or at least, it isn’t one that the Creed explicitly states. I found a … loophole.”

Din wanted to cringe at how soft and nervous his voice got, at how he couldn’t even finish a sentence without cowering. He had faced countless dangers just in the time he had had Grogu, kriff he had defeated a _krayt dragon_ with the man in front of him, but this was the most fear he had felt in years. 

“Let me see if I got this right,” He finally said after another moment of stunned silence. “You found a loophole," Cobb repeated, scrutinizing him and Din had to force himself to not wilt under his gaze. “And you’re willing to use it...in order to kiss me?” 

It sounded idiotic when phrased like that, so so idiotic.

“Yes.” 

Just as he was chiding himself for ruining this, wondering how he could walk out of this with as much of his pride as he could, Cobb’s grin returned, with double it’s intensity. He grabbed Din’s hand and brought it up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles.

“You sure know how to romance a guy, Mando,” he laughed, tugging him forward until they were chest to chest. Din’s heart could have stopped entirely and he wouldn’t have noticed as Cobb lowered his head to press their foreheads together. 

Din couldn't have helped the slight gasp that escaped him if he tried. He had seen Mandalorians do this before, those who were paired, and he knew what it meant: it was a gesture of love, and the most sacred one of all. Cobb had no way of knowing, but they had just shared the most intimate gesture they could have. 

"You really trust me?" Cobb asked, a little starstruck, and Din didn't hesitate. 

"I do." 

It was insane how quickly he came to trust the Marshal, how quickly he came to the decision that the child would be safe with him if Din hadn’t made it out of the krayt dragon. There were several others in the galaxy he trusted, but none so much as him. If there was anyone Din felt wouldn't look if he took his helmet off…

"How do we do this?" Cobb asked, making Din's brain short-circuit as his hands trailed over his waist. 

"That's the tricky part," he muttered, sure he was taking this too far. "Creed forbids a living being from seeing my face, so I’d have to wrap something around your eyes.”

There was a look on Cobb’s face that he couldn’t distinguish and Din wanted to shrink into himself. “You tryin’ to blindfold me, Mando?” 

“I plan to,” He said before thinking any better of it. A million apologizes came to mind, not wanting to do anything the Marshal wasn't comfortable with and just about to call the entire thing off, when Cobb uttered a moan and his hips stuttered, accidentally tightening his grip on Din’s waist. 

Din let out a curse under his breath as Cobb’s breathing grew more ragged. “You’ve been holding out on me, doll,” he said, burying his face in the crook of Din’s neck. “Why the hell did you not tell me about this earlier?”

_Because I was scared you wouldn’t want me._

But there wasn't any way he could ever say that, not without exposing too much of his fears. Instead, he spoke so low his modulator almost didn't pick it up. 

"How about I make it up to you?" 

Cobb let out a moan that was entirely beneath him, and Din was glad they were already naked. It made things much less complicated. 

He walked the Marshal backward until the man's thighs hit the bed frame, and went flying back with the smallest push from the Mandalorian. It landed him a breathless laugh and nothing but pure adoration in Cobb's eyes, and Din was glad the man would be blindfolded in a matter of moments. He wasn't sure he could do this if Cobb kept looking at him like that. 

Din searched the floor and found the discarded article quickly, seeing Cobb's lips quirk up at the sight of the bright red scarf. 

"You're sure about this?" Din asked, voice as rigid as his body. "We don't have to do this." 

"Shut up and blindfold me." 

Din complied. 

There was a moment of laughter and hushes between the two of them, Din's thighs on either side of Cobb as he straddled him, as he put the scarf in place. He noticing that the man's grip on his forearm tightened once his vision went dark, but there was no hesitance in his smile or his body. 

Din let himself sit back a moment, his eyes roaming Cobb's body in a way he hadn't allowed himself to before: the slight dimples on his hips, the birthmark on his chest, the millions of tiny white scars littering his body. Cobb shivered when Din's fingers lightly ran over those scars, his grin faltering for just a moment. 

"You gonna do anything, Mando? Or am I gonna have to figure out how to fly blind?" 

The joke alleviated Din's unease, and he let out a small laugh that made Cobb grin up at him. He knew that the Marshal couldn't actually see him, but sometimes Din was sure that Cobb could see _him_. He was the only person who understood his pathetic attempts at humor, the only person who had seen just how dedicated he was to his son. Cobb saw him, and Din couldn't love him more. 

The air was thick with tension as they both heard the _hiss_ as he removed his helmet with shaky hands, trying to keep his breathing steady. The room automatically became brighter, no longer tinted by his visor, and he had to blink to get used to it.

"Din, when was the last you took that off?" Cobb asked, his humorous tone gone and now only looking at him with a sort of cautious air. 

"Few hours ago," he awkwardly joked, trying to deflect. "Had to eat something."

"Darlin’, be honest." 

Din wasn't sure when the pet names started, when their names became replaced with "sweetheart" or "darling" or in moments when they thought the other wasn't listening, "love." But somehow, it became a thing. It became their thing. 

"Never." 

The word hung heavy between them, the seriousness of the situation weighing in. 

"You don't have to do this," Cobb said, echoing Din's earlier words. "If you ain't comfortable or you don't want this--" 

"I want this," Din replied, maybe a second too quickly, a little too eager. "I want you." 

Just to prove it, and a little bit out of lack of restraint, he let his thumb ghost over Cobb’s lips, lightly pushing down and relishing in the gasp the man let out. Not only was he completely at Din's mercy, a thought that he took some selfish pleasure in, he realized that this was the first time Din had ever been able to return any favor. Yes, he was able to use his hands and other appendages but not being able to remove one's helmet puts a restriction on what acts one can participate in. 

"Let me?" He asked, not even sure what he was asking for, but Cobb nodded vigorously. 

_"Please."_

He didn't know where to begin: he had had relations before, but never without his helmet. Most people relished in the idea of jumping in bed with a Mandalorian, easily one of the most secretive people in the galaxy, and considered themselves lucky enough that no one had ever attempted to persuade his helmet off. 

Not wanting to keep Cobb waiting more than he already had, Din ducked down to his neck, pressing feather light kisses to the man's skin. People enjoyed that, he assumed. 

Din had imagined Cobb would at the very least appreciate the gesture, so he was surprised when the Marshal cried out and fully reached out for him, pressing their bodies so close together that their erections pressed together. 

“ _Dank farrik.”_ Din cursed, pulling back to look down at Cobb, taking in his parted lips and heaving chest.

“You have a mustache,” Cobb laughed, quivering much more than usual. “You didn’t warn me about that, partner.” 

“Does that bother you?” He asked, looking at the man under him and trying to figure out if this was going to be made uncomfortable by something as arbitrary as _facial hair._

“Maker no,” Cobb laughed, hands leaving his hair and coming down to feel his upper lip, fixating on the mustache no one but Din knew about. “I like it.” 

There was something so gentle about the way that Cobb’s fingers traced his lip, how soothing the feeling was, that had Din seeing stars. He didn’t know what it was he was doing, but he knew that above anything he wanted to worship Cobb in the manner he deserved. 

He did just that, lips trailing over every inch of skin laid out before him, gauging everything by the sounds the Marshal let out. There apparently was no wrong answer, everything he did had Cobb writhing under him, moaning and praising him and it sent blood rushing south every time.

Din quickly found his way to the man's chest, kissing over every scar he could reach. Each one told a story, each had its reason. That, at the very least, Din could respect; his own body had just as many, if not more, stories. 

"Kriff," Cobb moaned once Din traveled lower, fingers digging into the man's thighs. Din let out an absolutely pitiful whine when Cobb's fingers found his hair and yanked _hard_ , and the man had the audacity to let out a weak laugh. 

" 'm I allowed to ask what color your hair is?" 

Din paused, looked up at Cobb and studied his face. 

His tone was teasing, as was it's default, but there was a note of sincerity under it all. He was genuinely asking, understanding of just how little he knew of Din's culture. Cobb was letting Din set his own pace, his own rules, and something about the sincerity and respect in the act made his chest ache. 

_The Creed would forbid it_ , his mind said. 

"Brown," he said softly, the word little more than an exhale. "It's brown."

It was a color he didn’t feel any attachment towards; it was one of those colors that he felt was unnecessary in the grand scheme of the galaxy, an ugly shade he saw no beauty in. The irony was, in the rare case he found himself looking in any mirror, brown was all he saw. Brown hair, brown eyes, brown skin. Brown. Brown. Brown. A useless color for an equally useless man.

“I’ve always loved brown,” Cobb exhaled, threading his fingers through Din’s hair as if trying to visualize it and commit it to memory. “Looks absolutely stunning in sunlight.”

Din wouldn’t know, it had been years since he had felt sunlight on his skin, but there was such sureness in Cobb’s words that he found himself believing it. He spoke with such reverence towards a _color,_ that had Din’s mind working a mile a minute. Maybe he would have to revisit his thesis on the color brown. 

He placed a kiss on Cobb's thigh, using his hands to spread the man’s legs further apart. This was what he was most scared of, an act he had never participated in, which he was sure Cobb picked up on. He reassured Din that he didn’t have to do anything he wasn’t sure of, but it was hard to not want to do this when it was so very obvious that Cobb needed release. 

Din wrapped a hand around Cobb, silencing any placating arguments the Marshal had, instead making him throw his head back on the pillow with a needy whine. This, at least, was familiar territory. He gave a few harsh strokes, just the way Cobb liked it, almost about to make him come with just his hands when he remembered the point of taking his helmet off. 

Hesitantly, he leaned forwards and let his tongue run over the tip, letting himself get used to the feeling of another man’s cock on him. Din heard the strangled sound Cobb emitted, and looked up to see the man grabbing at his own hair so hard his knuckles were white. He realized suddenly why the Marshall loved getting on his knees; Din could have come right there, untouched, just from the sight he was witnessing. Cobb’s lips were swollen, hair a tousled mess, covered in sweat, faint teeth marks littered all over his neck and legs. If this was the sight that awaited him, Din wouldn’t mind staying in between the man’s strong legs until the end of time. 

A surge of desire shot through him and he boldly swirled his tongue around the tip, a moan escaping him as Cobb’s taste flooded through his senses, overwhelming him and making his head dizzy. There were no thoughts, no concerns, just want. 

Cobb's hand found its way back to his hair, holding him softly, a sharp contrast to the sharp yanks the man gave moments before. He muttered praise and told him only to do what he felt comfortable doing, that he was 'doing real good darling.' 

It took a few minutes for Din to figure out how to properly suck someone off properly, with many inputs from Cobb. What he lacked in finesse, Din made up for in enthusiasm, and the sounds he had Cobb making were loud and desperate enough that he was glad they had locked the door. Maker forbid Grogu rush in, scared someone was getting hurt. 

"Darling--!" the Marshall cried out, struggling to keep his eyes open as to watch Din force his cock deeper and deeper into his throat. "Pull - pull off, I'm gonna--".

As much as Din wanted to let Cobb come in his mouth, the sheer filthiness of the thought enough to drag another moan from the Mandalorian and a cry from the Marshal, he was struggling enough with only half of Cobb. Realistically, he would have to pull off lest he wanted to actually choke.

Gagging a little as he pulled away, he didn't grant Cobb any mercy as he began jacking him off, watching as he arched his back and succumbed to his wants. Din watched in fascination as Cobb came, forcing himself to render all this to memory. It was a beautiful sight, one that Din wouldn’t forget until he was six-feet under the ground.

The rest of the night seemed to simultaneously last forever and end rather quickly. They weren't as young as they used to be, but the overwhelming pleasure they were both experiencing had them feeling things they hadn’t in years. Din couldn’t have said how much time had passed before the two fell back on the bed, thoroughly spent and in need of rest. He smiled into Cobb’s skin as the Marshal moved into his arms, already half asleep.

“Yea, it’s a done deal,” Cobb yawned, very obviously not conscious of his words.

“What is, Marshal?” Din teased, looking up at the ceiling, trying to regain his breath as Cobb had spent the past half-hour riding him and depriving him of release any time he was close. Never let it be said that Cobb Vanth wasn’t a merciless tease. 

“That I love you.”

Din froze, eyes widening beyond his comprehension, but when he looked back down at Cobb, the man was already fast asleep in his arms.

Love. Cobb loved him, No matter how glaringly obvious the man’s feelings were, the confession still knocked the wind out of him. He used to believe that he was unworthy of love, that no one could care for a man as cold and unnatural as the armor he donned. But Cobb was everything and more. He was kind, and gentle, and fiercely protective of what he loved. And now that included Din himself.

A year ago, before his sudden leap into fatherhood, a confession of love would have been probable cause to hightail it off the planet to never be seen again. But now, it made him pull Cobb in closer, press a kiss to his forehead.

“And I you.”

As he let himself be overtaken by his exhaustion, chest full of emotions he never felt before, Din realized that in all of their acts of lovemaking, one thing had escaped them:

The kiss.

* * *

Tatooine’s suns were high in the sky when Din awoke to the smell of food in the air and the sound of laughter. Groggily, he got out of bed and made his way out of the hallway to follow the sounds. Making his way to the kitchen, he smiled at the sight in front of him: Grogu in Cobb’s arms, eating quicker than Cobb could physically keep up with, the two laughing as a holo played in front of them. 

“You done, you little womp? Maker knows you’d eat an entire bantha if I let you.”

Grogu babbled happily, Cobb nodding as if he could understand the child’s gibberish. 

“Alright, kid. Go play before your daddy wakes up.”

Surprisingly, Grogu complied, climbing out of Cobb’s lap and running as fast as he could to the spare room he claimed as his own. It made Din’s heart soar when he saw the way Cobb watched him, soft smile and loving gaze.

“You’re good with him.” 

Cobb turned to him, a smile on his face widening at the sound of his voice. All too soon, it disappeared. 

The Marshal cursed loudly, hand coming over to cover his eyes and looking away. “Kriff, Mando, is this a test or something? I already told you, I ain’t gonna look. Wasn’t really necessary, partner…”

Din had crossed the room in the time Cobb was rambling, his sentence trailing off as Din’s hand came up to cup his jaw. 

“No test,” He promised. 

Din trusted Cobb, completely, but now he knew that everything he was taught about his Creed was wrong. It-- it wasn't a strict list of commandments, it was a guide to their Way of life. He could take his helmet off if he so wished, and he did. He wanted to. 

Din’s chest was heavy with emotion and he didn’t want to admit that his eyes were burning with tears.

“I want you to see me." He whispered, the other hand coming up to brush a strand of hair out of the Marshal's face. "Please."

"We can't come back from this," Cobb replied, and Din startled at how serious the man was. He was not yet accustomed to a Cobb Vanth with no amusement on his silver tongue, no quip said with a strange lilt to his voice. 

"You're gonna regret this." 

Din let out a small exhale of disbelief, not quite believing he was so close yet so far to telling Cobb he loved him. Years of isolation and neglect had left him a man of little words, no longer able to tell people his true emotions. Not sure what else he could do, to show rather than tell, Din made a split-second decision. 

He leaned forward and kissed him. 

Din had never thought the motion would be possible, sure he would be buried one day with his helmet in its place, but when Cobb gasped against his lips he found that he couldn't quite believe he would have died without experiencing this. 

Cobb tasted like spotchka and ... something else. Something sweeter. Din found himself pressing a bit harder, chasing that taste he couldn't quite place. He moved in closer, leaving the Marshal enough room to pull away if he wanted to.

He didn't.

Softly, the man parted Din's lips and brought his hand up to hold Din's face. The last person to have ever done so had been his mother. The contact brought an unexpected cry out of him and Cobb pulled him in closer.

It became clear that this wasn't Din's field of expertise, and he knew not what the fuck he was doing. Cobb slightly tilted his head, changing their angle and- oh. His lips were parted, and it was Din's turn to gasp into their kiss and Cobb wrapped an arm behind his neck, bringing him in closer and closer--

The Marshal pulled away first, graciously giving the Mandalorian time to recover before speaking. 

"I love you too." 

If there was a sentence to make Cobb Vanth reaccess his words, that had apparently been it because, in a matter of mere seconds, Din's Creed had officially been broken. 

Cobb's eyes were gazing into his own, no emotions visible behind them. Din had offered himself to Cobb Vanth, every inch of skin o his being, but this was different. So very different. He felt conscious of the imperfections his helmet had kept hidden away his entire adult life, the scars, birthmarks, and blemishes. 

Those fears went away the moment Cobb's hand came up to wipe a stray tear off of Din's face.

"I was half expecting you to have ears like the kid hidden under there," Cobb muttered, fingers lightly tugging on his ear and the absurdness of it took Din by surprise. He started laughing and he couldn't stop, cheat aching as he laughed and laughed _and laughed._ It left him smiling once he had calmed down, and Cobb looked at him so reverently that Din felt his ears burn up in embarrassment. 

"Maker, there's a pretty sight," Cobb whispered, smiling back at him.

"Is it one you could get used to?" Din asked, offering a hand to the Marshal. "I've been thinking about it, and I want Grogu to grow up somewhere nice. Somewhere safe."

"Somewhere with a beautiful marshal?" Cobb joked, and Din was glad to hear him teasing again.

"Oh yes," Din deadpanned. " _Nevarro_ has a stunner. I won't be saying it to Cara Dune's face though."

Cobb's pout rivaled his child's and he slid his hand into Din's, looking down at their interlocked fingers. "If...if you're wanting to stay here in Mos Pelgo, I can find somewhere for you two. Not too far from here, of course-"

"Cobb Vanth." ' _You idiot'_ went unsaid but both men heard it at the end of the sentence. "I meant I want Grogu to grow up _here._ In this house, with _us."_

The Marshal looked at him as if he had hung the stars, eyes wide open and mouth dropped in a perfect "o"

"Cobb, I broke my Creed because I love you," Din rushed, the words openly pouring out of him. "I want to be with you every moment of every day for the rest of my life. My son and I love you and we love this community and we love how you protect it. You see me for who I am and for what I am, and I never want to be parted from you."

This confession, this _question_ , hadn't been part of his plan, but now with the opportunity in front of him, it was so very clear to Din that this what he wanted to do. What he _needed_ to do. 

"So, please. Join our clan. Let us be your family. _Let us love you,"_

Din wasn't sure what he would do if Cobb refused him, refused this. But he didn't even have time for any doubts to creep into his mind because Cobb's mouth was on his again. The kiss was softer than it's predecessor, full of unspoken promises and futures untold. Din could get used to this. 

"Is that a yes?" Din asked with a smile, mainly just to get a rise out of the man.

"On one condition," Cobb grinned. 

"You tell me why the hell you named that poor kid _Grogu."_

**Author's Note:**

> I actually started writing this sometime around Chapter 14 so I suppose that's where the divergence starts, and honestly, I'm surprised it took me this long to finish this lol. Also, is space colorism a thing? Because if not, ignore my projecting onto Din bc I am also brown and the "useless color" thing is just me being sad ok? I'm fine I swear 😂
> 
> There was a scene I omitted where Grogu comes back out into the kitchen and is scared because he's never seen Din helmet-less and essentially Din holds him and it's a slight recreation of the Chapter 16 scene where they say goodbye. I only cut it because I genuinely don't have time to write it :(
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this because this pairing is a personal favorite of mine! Give me comments to read over my breaks at work ok? I'm pulling daily 12-hour shifts so trust me, I need it lol
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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